Moms Group Commends House Leaders for Prioritizing Legislation that Would Require Background Checks on Gun Sales

Statement from leaders of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the introduction of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019:

“As a nation, we have no higher priority than to make our schools, communities, workplaces, streets, homes, families and children safer. At this time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that gun deaths in America are the highest they have been in 40 years, the need for strong, common sense gun safety measures is urgent and compelling. We commend Speaker Nancy Pelosi and all U.S. House leaders for recognizing that and making H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, a priority in the new Congress. Eight years to the day after the shooting in Tucson that claimed six lives and wounded seven others, including then-Rep. Gabby Giffords, it’s past time Congress pass this bill.”

“It’s a new day, and a new Congress, and America’s moms expect fast progress on sensible gun safety reforms. In addition to background checks on gun sales, we need to ban military-style assault weapons with high-capacity magazines and take other steps to prevent mass shootings and reduce the toll of gun violence, which is taking more than 40,000 lives in this country each year. Speedy passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 is the essential first step and we look to both Democrats and Republicans in both chambers to ensure that happens.”

MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.